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Topic: Do you sketch? (Read 2546 times)

I was daydreaming today at lunch and began to wonder how many bonsai folks sketch designs of do verts of the trees they have in development? Do you take the time to sketch your vision and then bring it to reality in living material? Comments please. Pros and Cons.

No, but I wish I could/did. The reason I don't is a combination of lack of skill at sketching and a severe time shortage. You know the deal with kids, wife, job, etc. I'm lucky to keep the trees alive . Seriously, I am beginning to understand why artists/teachers like Colin Lewis recommend to their students to keep a limited number of trees that have serious potential and deserve the intense work (including sketches) required to make them truly special.

Funny, the program for our most recent club meeting was on technique for sketching bonsai. One of our members had taken some classes and shared the experience with the rest of us. I got some handouts with a few different pencil strokes to practice. I can see where it can come in handy.

Good morning, if you are not so great at drawing or sketching then a great alternative is to take a picture. With all the digital cameras available this is easy. Snap a picture from several of your favorite possible fronts. Print from your computer on regular print paper, this way you can draw or mark right on the paper. Use a marker, crayon, pencil, or pen to mark it up. If you don't like it or mess up, print a new copy. If the tree is too busy or confusing to see easily try printing in black and white and use the draft setting in your print setup. If you don't have a digital camera just lay tracing paper over a picture of your tree and trace the good bones that you want to use. And always remember that these drawings and sketches are for you to design the best tree that you can, and not necessarily for publication. Hope this helps at least a little. I used to sketch my trees more than I do now, when I first started this helped me see the possible lines of the tree without all the stuff that was there getting in the way. Now I only really sketch if I get stuck and can't find the tree in the stock that I'm working on. It can be fun and beneficial if you see it that way, but it can also be one more thing that you don't have time for.The trick is finding what works for you and running with it. Don.

It's odd, really, that I don't sketch my trees. I have a fair hand at drawing but have never been comfortable doing a sketch of my tree prior to working on it. I kind of chalk it up to my early years of having no idea what is possible on a particular tree, but I just never got into the habit. I really should try.